Plain files, not a platform lock-in
RWP™ artifacts are Markdown, YAML, JSON Schema, and templates. Teams can adopt them with any editor, CI system, or AI assistant.
Open protocol for AI workflow
Rhumb Protocol™
AI sessions produce work that evaporates. Plans live in chat, context vanishes between conversations, and handoffs lose everything that matters. Rhumb Workflow Protocol™ gives that work a durable spine: plain-file plans, state, handoffs, and audits that survive across tools, agents, and sessions.
Constant-bearing workflow artifacts that stay portable, inspectable, and auditable across tools.
RWP 0.31.0Why it exists
AI workflow needs a protocol layer, not another private project format.
RWP™ standardizes the artifacts around complex work so a plan can move between people, agents, vendors, and implementations without losing the audit trail.Handoffs become durable context
Plans, state, manifests, and handoffs preserve what was requested, what changed, and what the next session needs to know.
Reference implementation, not vendor dependency
YAKKL® Meridian™ implements Rhumb™, but the protocol is independent, Apache-2.0, and designed for third-party implementations.
Artifact model
Five core artifacts keep complex work navigable.
Start with the minimum and add structure as the workflow grows. The protocol is advisory by design: RWP recommends; it does not enforce.PLAN.md
Defines phases, deliverables, dependencies, and verification.
INTAKE.yaml
Captures requirements, constraints, pain points, and success criteria.
manifest.yaml
Registers files, outputs, prompts, handoffs, and audit artifacts.
state.yaml
Tracks execution status, current phase, claims, heartbeats, and history.
HO-*.yaml
Preserves phase transition context between agents, people, and sessions.
Protocol layer
The missing standard between AI tools and durable work.
LSP standardized code intelligence. MCP standardized tool integration. RWP standardizes workflow memory: the plans, state, handoffs, and audits that keep AI-assisted work portable and inspectable.Implement the artifact contract, not a competing format
JSON Schema validation, conformance levels, and implementation profiles let tools adopt RWP incrementally without runtime dependencies or vendor lock-in.
Your users' work persists between sessions
RWP gives AI-assisted work a durable spine without requiring your platform to own the format. The protocol complements your tool by making every session's output reusable.
Plain files you can read, version, and validate
Markdown plans, YAML state, JSON Schema validation, and ABNF grammar for phase notation. No proprietary format, no service dependency, no magic.
Quick start
Adopt the protocol before adopting a tool.
The first useful version is small: one intake, one plan, one state file, and a clean handoff when the work crosses a boundary.- Capture the request in INTAKE.yaml.
- Break the work into phases in PLAN.md.
- Track execution in state.yaml.
- Write handoffs at every phase boundary.
- Validate against schemas as adoption matures.
Try it now
mkdir -p rwp/plans/MP-0001 rwp/plans/MP-0001/handoffs
cat > rwp/plans/MP-0001/PLAN.md <<'EOF'
---
id: MP-0001
title: My first RWP plan
status: planning
---
# MP-0001: My first RWP plan
## Phase Breakdown
### P-01: Initial implementation
- [ ] Define deliverables
- [ ] Execute and verify
EOFPapers
Deep dives for executives, tool builders, and implementers.
Three papers explain the protocol at different depths. Read them on the site or download the PDFs.01
Executive brief
A short PDF for leaders: why the protocol exists, how it reduces lock-in, and where Meridian fits.
02Implementation brief
A technical PDF for tool builders: artifacts, schemas, conformance levels, implementation profiles, known drift, and extension rules.
03Specification reading bundle
A guided packet through the canonical Markdown specs, schemas, templates, examples, conformance notes, and reference-profile decisions.
Integrations
